WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Edward Kennedy’s wife asked supporters Friday to contribute to his political action committee – a donation she claims would help the Massachusetts Democrat in his quest to establish health care for “all Americans.”

Universal health care is a signature issue for Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer and on Monday will turn 77.

“He believes that every American has the right to decent, quality, affordable health care, and fighting for that right is the cause of his life,” Victoria Reggie Kennedy writes in the e-mail sent by her husband’s Committee for a Democratic Majority.

She does not mention the senator’s struggle with cancer, but notes that “Messages of support from friends like you - combined with the spirit of hope and possibility in Washington - energize and inspire him.”

Victoria Reggie Kennedy also asks supporters to sign and write a note to the senator on an electronic birthday card.